Posts

February 11, 2015

From ScienceInsider: Now, a new computer simulation explores just how sensitive the process might be to bias and randomness. Its answer: very. Small biases can have big consequences, concludes Eugene Day, a health care systems engineer at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, in Research Policy. He found that bias that skews scores by just 3% […]

In 2012 there were 29.1 million Americans living with type 2 diabetes and a further 86 million American adults with prediabetes. How much and the type of foods in the diet are important considerations for people with diabetes to help manage blood glucose levels. The American Diabetes Association has identified 10 ‘super foods’ to incorporate into diabetes meal plans, all of which have low glycemix index (GI) and nutrients like fiber. In addition to lowering […]

I hate when I review grant proposals that are good, but clearly have been made pedestrian and conservative through the school of hard knocks. There is so much awesome that could be done by these people. It is so clear to me what the really high impact version of this grant should look like. (Not […]

Just as I was leaving London for South Africa, I got updates for all my vaccinations. Typhoid, hepatitis, diptheria, polio, tetanus. I didn’t think twice about it. I got teary enough watching Benedict Cumberbatch’s moving portrayal of Alan Turing: his work saved an estimated 15 million people who would have otherwise perished in conflict and […]

Purdue University research shows that standard cleaning procedures in retail delis may not eradicate Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause a potentially fatal disease in people with vulnerable immune systems. A study led by Haley Oliver, assistant professor of food science, … Continue reading →

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) strains, of which E. coli O157:H7 is the best-studied serotype, are an important group of foodborne pathogens causing severe illness in humans worldwide. The main reservoirs for EHEC are ruminants, mostly cattle, which harbor the bacteria … Continue reading →

I’ve written previously about Mayim Bialik, an actress previously on the TV show “Blossom” and currently on the “The Big Bang Theory.” She has a PhD in neuroscience and is a brand ambassador for Texas Instruments. Sounds great, right? She’s also gone on the record stating that her family is “a non-vaccinating” one, and has promoted…

Sorenne was in prep (kindergarten for North American types) last year when she asked, “Dad, can I order food from the tuck shop?” “Not until I check it out,” said Dr. food safety dad. So I asked about, and, as … Continue reading →

I hate texting. I learned how to do it so I could chat with my kids, but I much prefer e-mail. Chapman says I’m old, and the whole e-mail thing just passed by these kids. The hardest lesson to teach … Continue reading →

When Frank Yiannas left Disney to go work for Walmart, I asked, why? He said something along the lines of, bigger brand, bigger influence. Food safety Frank is using that influence. As its aisles were bustling with holiday shoppers a … Continue reading →

It’s not quite an entire rodent, but the Flatiron outpost of super hot salad spot Sweetgreen has been shuttered by the Department of Health for evidence of live mice, among other things. Tipster Ryan Eugene Kelley sent photos from the … Continue reading →

February 10, 2015

A southeast Iowa couple who were sent cow manure in the mail have sued the woman who acknowledges that she paid to have the poop sent. Mary Eipert and Steven Rowland want a judge to order Kimberly Capdevila and her … Continue reading →

As all children attending two schools in Portsmouth, UK will be vaccinated against Hepatitis A in light of a potential outbreak, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control report that adults are particularly at risk for Hep A infections. … Continue reading →

NPR investigates the high rates of work-related injuries among nurses; Illinois governor signs order targeting collective bargaining; OSHA cites one of the world's largest furniture manufacturers; and thousands of oil refinery workers go on strike.

Those of you who know me personally know that I am totally forthcoming about all the lucky duck stuff* that has happened to me when it comes to the arc of my career. I do this in part so that I remind myself not to be one of these old farts who thinks he deserves […]

We are excited to share the newest issue of the NPHR with you. Our latest issue highlights a wide range of public health topics from the impact of landmines in Colombia to the role of energy in promoting public health … Continue reading →

I’ve seen A and B restaurant grades, and the occasional C. I know what R-rated is, but I’ve not seen an E-rating for a food business until now. According to the New Zealand Herald, Kiwi Country Fried Chicken and Fish, an … Continue reading →

Two newborns were left fighting for life after contracting terrapin-related botulism, it has emerged. Both babies were just 11 days old when they were rushed to hospital with the disease, which is linked to pet turtles. The cases are the … Continue reading →

Just in time for our annual school Fete (it’s a British thing) that will feature animals of some sort, I get to further play Dougie Downer and distribute this 2-page guide for playing with animals. Our paper on human-animal interactions … Continue reading →

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that plays a key role in protecting cell membranes, protecting low density lipoproteins (LDLs) from oxidation (oxidized LDLs contribute to cardiovascular disease), and the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Adults aged 20 and older have an RDA of 15 mg/day, but the most recent dietary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows gaps in intake in the United States. Males and females aged 20 and older who do […]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), a governmental regulatory agency in the United Kingdom, has just approved a technique that prevents women with mitochondrial DNA disease from transmitting the faulty DNA to their children. First, some background. Mitochondria are the cell’s chief source of energy. Mitochondrial disease is a group of disorders caused by dysfunctional mitochondria, [...]

Please welcome a guest post from Sriram Ramgopal, a resident physician in the Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He is interested in pediatric advocacy and is pursuing a career in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Politically motivated fearmongering about vaccination is … Continue reading »The post Let’s stop playing politics with vaccines appeared first on Public Health.

For about 600 reasons I generally avoid the Huffington Post. But one of their writers did an absolutely perfect job of describing the need for buprenorphine, and the failure of ‘traditional’ treatments. The article is entitled Dying to be Free. The challenge, though, is getting the article into the hands of policy-makers. It is too … Continue reading Must-Read Article About Buprenorphine →

In 1955, there were 560,000 patients in psychiatric hospital across the United States. Today, there are only 45,000. Since the U.S. population has doubled over that same time period, that means that the number of hospital beds for mental patients...
Related StoriesBecoming a New ParentLeft-handness and Psychiatric Disorders in ChildrenDoctors Baffled by Bizarre "Deja Vu" Case

Steve Neavling of the Motor City Muckraker writes: The stench was so foul that I vomited. A dumpster at the Eastern Market was brimming with scores of rotting lamb carcasses Sunday afternoon, plainly visible to motorists along Gratiot Avenue in … Continue reading →

What exactly is the perfect work space? For me, the answer is “many.” Since I’m not assigned to a cubicle for my PhD work I have some flexibility as to when and how I get my work done. It’s like that really worn out joke about getting a STEM PhD, “The hours are great! You … Continue reading The Perfect Workspace →

Tthe comments just keep coming over at RockTalking. 8581+ year old guy: In 2012-13 my NIH renewal proposal with 4 specific aims was turned down 2X by the GM, NCSD Panel, with 35%+ priority scores. ...I appealed the grant reviews to the GM Council and they awarded the grant to me for 3 years at […]

Citations

Nineteen Eighty — if I had to pick the year that computational modeling invaded evolutionary game theory then that would be it. In March, 1980 — exactly thirty-five years ago — was when Robert Axelrod, a professor of political science at University of Michigan, published the results of his first tournament for iterated prisoner’s dilemma […]

Multiple sclerosis, unless you suffer from nerve damage it is a pain you (thankfully) will never have to feel. In most cases, treating the brutal pain caused by this (and other neurological diseases) is the only help that can be offered to people. The pain is caused by damage to myelin, the fatty insulator that […]

Today my friend Nicholas Sansbury Smith releases Extinction Edge, the sequel to Extinction Horizon, a sci-fi thriller where humanity is driven to extinction by a lethal virus. I posted an interview with Nick for the release of his first book, but today I wanted to talk about the science behind his premise: can a virus induce epigenetic changes?In a way, Nick's premise is similar to the premise I used in Chimeras: a large part of our DNA is made of pseudogenes, which are ancient genes that are
[…]

The paper from Katarina Babinská and colleagues [1] (open-access here) presents an interesting, if preliminary take on two potentially important issues linked to at least some cases of autism: gastrointestinal (GI) issues and inflammation (see here and see here respectively).Detailing the examination of plasma levels of a compound called high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), a protein which has the apparent ability to 'bend DNA' and has some pretty potent immune effects [2]
[…]

Multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) is an increasingly popular approach for analyzing the results of fMRI scanning experiments that measure brain activity. MVPA searches for patterns of activation that correlate with a particular mental state. This is called 'decoding' neural activity.
Now a new paper in the Journal of Neuroscience from Caltech neuroscientists Julien Dubois et al. reports that MVPA is unable to decode certain kinds of information, even though single-unit recordings confirm th

Dubois J, de Berker AO & Tsao DY (2015). Single-Unit Recordings in the Macaque Face Patch System Reveal Limitations of fMRI MVPA., The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 35 (6) 2791-802. PMID: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25673866